Targeted Liver Embolization

This section describes clearances in countries other than the United States, and therefore, may contain indications and information that are outside the scope of the FDA-cleared labeling.

Embolization of liver tumors can be indicated for the treatment of cancerous tumors that can be a result of colorectal metastases, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, and metastases from other parts of the body. There are two types of embolization that are used within the liver: bland embolization, which is embolization without chemotherapy; and chemoembolization, which is embolization in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs. The benefits and risks with both treatments are different with every patient; thus, it is important to talk to your oncologist, Interventional Radiologist, or referring physician about these therapies.

Embolization of liver tumors without chemotherapy drugs is called "bland embolization" and is used as a preface to liver resection, liver transplant, or as a palliative treatment to hepatocellular carcinoma or metastatic liver cancer. Clinical trials have studied the individual outcomes of both chemoembolization and bland embolization, and, while there are statistics to support both types of treatment, there is no conclusive evidence that points to one treatment being superior to the other.

Another option while embolizing liver tumors is to inject chemotherapy drugs directly into the artery that has been supplying blood to the tumor. This process is called "chemoembolization". This allows the dosage to be 20 to 200 times greater than if the chemotherapy were injected into a vein in the arm. Furthermore, because the arteries are blocked with the embolic material, the chemotherapy drug remains much longer and is targeted much more accurately than a systemic chemotherapeutic treatment. The side effects of chemoembolization are generally less severe than systemic chemotherapy due to the fact that the drugs are trapped within the liver and not circulated throughout the body.